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Guest post by TC

The score is the backbone of a film’s emotional landscape, serving as an integral element that enhances storytelling, deepens characters, and elevates or emphasises cinematic moments. Composed to underscore the narrative and visuals, a good score can transform the viewing experience from ordinary to extraordinary, subtly guiding audience reactions and infusing scenes with mood and meaning.

Good music can really make a film (and bad music can really harm a film), and is a very powerful tool. Music can be used to set the mood and move on, or delay, and inform the action. Some film scores enjoy iconic status: Brief Encounter uses Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto, and the rich romanticism and pathos of this music truly enhances the narrative.

It’s no accident that some of the best modern and contemporary classical music (using the term loosely here) comes in the form of film scores (think composers like Erich Korngold, William Walton, Bernard Herrmann, Howard Shore, Maurice Jarre, John Williams, Ennio Morricone, Hans Zimmer, Yann Tiersen….) and is performed outside of the cinema by leading international orchestras. These programmes are enormously popular with audiences, not only because the scores are familiar from the films, but also because the music itself is so good that it can stand alone from the visuals.

The popularity of film music is regularly reiterated by radio stations such as ClassicFM, which regularly broadcast excerpts from the soundtracks of, for example, Lord of the Rings (Howard Shore), The Mission (Ennio Morricone), The Hours (Philip Glass) and more, and certain composers of film scores enjoy near-legendary status in the world of film and music

I’ve been to several film screenings with live score, an experience which can enhance one’s experience of both the film and the music, together and separately (and such performances do, I think, really highlight a good score).

The film Blade Runner (released in 1982) has an arresting score by Vangelis – considered by some to represent the very essence of Vangelis’ sound, with its shimmering synthesisers, sweeping orchestral passages, and haunting melodies. It has expansive majesty but also moments of tenderness, intimacy and poignancy. It is possibly one of the best film soundtracks ever.

Image credit: Paul Sanders

We went to a screening of Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut (2007) at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC), a building of unrelieved dreariness, more used to hosting political party conferences than cult films with orchestra. Previously, we’ve seen films with live score at the Royal Festival Hall, which boasts comfy seats and pleasant social areas. The screen was perhaps too small, the film itself interrupted by subtitles (which as the action progressed fortunately became easier to ignore).

If you are familiar with Blade Runner, you will know that it is, on the surface at least, a science-fiction film, set in a dystopian future Los Angeles in which synthetic humans called Replicants are bio-engineered by the Tyrell Corporation. Renegade replicants are hunted down by ‘blade runners’. Harrison Ford plays Deckard, a disllusioned, world-weary policeman/blade runner. It’s based on a book by Philip K Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and it poses philosophical questions on the meaning and power of memories, lived experience, and, above all, what it means to be alive. This is most powerfully portrayed by the character Roy Batty (leader of the renegade Replicants, played by Rutger Hauer), who knows his time on earth is finite and his life is precious. He provides an important foil to the weary Deckard. In the closing scenes of the film, Roy’s touching death monologue reinforces the message of the entire film and expresses the fundamental experience of everyone who has ever lived. And it was here that the live score really highlighted the power and the poignancy of this message.

From the outset, despite the rather grim venue, performed live by the Avex Ensemble, the unsettling low-register rumbling, shimmering harp-like synthesiser lines and eerily descending scales set up what is to come. As the sound blooms and swells, it draws you in, placing you right in the heart of the film’s atmosphere, and you focus not just on the film itself, but also the shifting soundscapes of that transcendent, memorable and melancholic soundtrack. At times I found myself listening more intently than actually watching. The live score offered new nuances on the film, at times heightening and magnifying the action, intensifying emotion and intimacy, while also conjuring up the broad vista of a future world and worlds beyond our world.

Other notable highlights were the haunting solo saxophone in the love scene and live vocals in ‘Rachel’s Song’ from a female singer with a voice reminiscent of Beth Gibbons of Portishead.

Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty

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If you haven’t yet discovered the delightful gem that is the 1901 Arts Club, now is the time to do so….

7 Star Arts present a trio of concerts at the 1901 Arts Club this autumn featuring leading musicians, including pianist Viv McLean and up-and-coming soprano Sofia Kirwan-Baez, in a range of imaginative programmes of music from Nadia Boulanger to George Gershwin and Benjamin Britten – and much more besides. These concerts are in support of English National Opera’s Benevolent Fund

Housed in a converted schoolmaster’s house a stone’s throw from Waterloo Station, the 1901 Arts Club is an intimate, convivial chamber music venue whose ethos, ambiance and decor is inspired by Europe’s ninteenth-century Salon culture. It’s the perfect place to enjoy music with friends, and it boasts an elegant upstairs bar for pre- and post-concert socialising. And at these concerts with 7 Star Arts, you’ll have the chance to meet the artists as well.

Tuesday 24 September HIDDEN GEMS OF FRENCH SONG with Sofia Kirwan-Baez

Hotfoot from her recent appearance at Longborough Festival Opera, soprano, pianist and songwriter Sofia Kirwan-Baez takes you on a journey through French song, from Nadia and Lilli Boulanger to Edith Piaf and Barbara. Plus a few surprises along the way…

Find out more / Book TICKETS

Wednesday 30 October ALICE NEARY cello and VIV McLEAN piano

Two of our finest musicians perform much-loved sonatas for cello and piano by Debussy, Britten & Franck.

The pianist Viv McLean seemed exceptional….he astonished us with his musical maturity and extraordinary sonority

Le Monde, Paris

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Wednesday 4 December CLASSIC GERSHWIN with VIV McLEAN piano & SUSAN PORRETT narrator

7 Star Arts most popular words and music production makes its 1901 Arts Club debut. This “glorious celebration of Gershwin’s life and music” weaves the vibrant music of the ever-popular composer with his fascinating life story from birth in the colourful, teeming New York of 1898 to his tragically early death in 1937. Programme includes Gershwin favourites The Man I love and Rhapsody in Blue as well as lesser-known works.

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Following one of those wonderfully serendipitous encounters on the internet, I am delighted to present “Notes from the Keyboard”, a series of articles for adult amateur pianists, by Dakota Gale, chronicling his own experiences of learning the piano as an adult.

Four years ago, my wife surprised me with a digital piano for my birthday. I’d mentioned my desire to learn a few times and, ever the muse, she called my bluff.

I couldn’t read music. Finding middle C was a quest. I was a B-E-G-I-N-N-E-R.

And yet…she was right. At 38 years old, I tumbled rapturously into the world of piano. 

Four years later, the honeymoon phase is over, and yet I remain motivated to play every day and am still loving the journey. (<–understatement: I’m head-over-heels for it.)

I even do stuff like learning to do portraits by drawing musicians! (My wife tells me that’s eccentric…) 

I’m playing pieces by Chopin, Debussy, Beethoven, Liszt, and other famous composers that I thought were a decade off. Even facing the inevitable frustrations of piano study, I’m finding joy in piano every.single.day.

Learning piano transcends fun – I feel like I’ve unearthed a gift, a path to access some of the most beautiful music ever written. Accessing the pieces revealed a fountain of satisfaction that isn’t tied to money or achievement, a much-needed oasis of play as an adult.

In fact, I’ll often drop into a flow state for 30 minutes and be surprised when my timer goes off. Where else do we get that feeling once we’re done playing with Legos or mud pies?

You, mega-savvy adult reader, can do it too!

Adults CAN learn to play piano

I share my achievements not to brag (many pianists young and old far outshine my abilities), but to offer hope to adult learners. If you’re telling yourself, “Oh, I could never learn to play” or “I’m not musical” or “only kids can learn piano,” let me persuade you otherwise.

I’m shocked how many people tell me only children can learn. Well, kids are “naturals” at learning because:

  1. They don’t over-complicate things, focusing on foundational blocks that are small and approachable. (Be it music, language, or other skills.)
  2. Kids are able to practice more undistracted hours because an adult provides housing, food, and does their laundry. Their job is to be curious sponges; our Adult Role is often yawn-tastic Tuesdays, repeated.

Adults lack those luxuries. We put pressure on ourselves, try to play songs that are too hard for us, question if the time investment is worth it, and simply don’t have as much time to practice.

I’m an adult. (It snuck up on me.) On top of all the typical adult stuff, I have far too many hobbies. Sometimes friends do annoying things like interrupt my piano reverie to invite me to dinner or on bike rides. *sigh* The inconsiderate louts, I must practice!

And yet by carving out time each day to study piano, in a few months I reached a deeply satisfying level of proficiency that kept me coming back. After four years, I’m frankly astonished sometimes at what my fingers can do.

As a bonus, it’s beautiful for people to listen to (or so they pretend). A skill I’ll enjoy and develop for a lifetime, long after I’m done taking irresponsible risks on my mountain bike.

Beyond that, I’m fired up! I look forward to enjoying creating music the rest of my life and only wish I’d started earlier.

Dear reader, welcome to “Notes from the Keyboard: Adult Piano Chronicles” on The Cross-Eyed Pianist. This will be an ongoing series about my journey learning piano as an adult. I’ll share my journey (ups and downs!) and headaches with pieces and how I resolve them. I promise to absolutely not take myself too seriously—after all this is a hobby, not a vocation.

If you have ideas for topics you’d like to hear about from a dedicated amateur student of classical piano such as myself, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m looking forward to sharing this journey with you!

Dakota Gale

When he isn’t playing piano, Dakota Gale enjoys learning languages (especially Italian) and drawing. He also writes about reclaiming creativity as an adult and ditching tired personal paradigms in his newsletter, Traipsing About. He can often be spotted camping and exploring mountain bike trails around the Pacific Northwest.

This site is free to access and ad-free, and takes many hours to research, write, and maintain. If you find joy and value in what I do, why not

BUY ME A COFFEE

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Weymouth Lunchtime Chamber Concerts (WLCC), which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022, is undergoing a ‘rebrand’ to reflect exciting expanding plans to bring more high-quality classical music and musicians to the popular Dorset seaside resort.

The series, founded by Weymouth-born pianist Duncan Honeybourne on his return to his hometown at the age of 25, has become well known as a platform for young professionals and established artists, and is now taking its activities up a gear. Last year’s summer concert, featuring chamber musicians coached by Duncan at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department, was such a success that this year a special summer series of four extra Sunday afternoon concerts is being presented under the organisation’s new name CHAMBER MUSIC WEYMOUTH.

In addition to two Young Artist Showcase events on 9th and 16th July, Chamber Music Weymouth will also present a special concert of sea shanties and music inspired by or evocative of the sea and coastal landscapes with Lyme Bay Moonrakers and Duncan Honeybourne (14th July). The summer series will conclude on 28th July with a song recital given by baritone John Barker and pianist Helen Cawthorne.

Artistic Director Duncan Honeybourne says, “We’ve always made a point of welcoming young musicians, and last year’s young piano trio thoroughly enjoyed their trip to the seaside, eating ice cream on the beach after playing Mendelssohn to a large, supportive and enthusiastic audience. Everyone loved the event, and there were calls for a repeat, so this year we decided to expand the enterprise.”

Frances Wilson, herself a major voice in the piano world through her blog ‘The Cross-Eyed Pianist’, joined Duncan in 2019 as Concerts Manager, and together they plan to put their stretch of the Jurassic Coast firmly on the musical map. Frances says, “We have enjoyed record audiences since we returned to our regular monthly concerts following the challenges of the covid lockdowns, and we look forward to capitalising on this enthusiasm for what we do here with an expanded programme of concerts and other related events as we approach our 25th anniversary in 2027.”

Thanks to a generous donation from the Weymouth Music Club, which closed in 2023 after presenting concerts in the town for almost 80 years, Chamber Music Weymouth will, in addition to the regular monthly lunchtime concert series, offer further opportunities to young musicians at the start of their professional careers. Future plans also include a music festival, piano competition and masterclasses/piano courses.

The first Young Artist Showcase concert, presented by Chamber Music Weymouth, takes place on Sunday 9th June at 3pm at St Mary’s Church in central Weymouth. Students of Duncan Honeybourne from the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department and the University of Southampton will perform music by Mozart, Lalo, Paganini, and Beethoven. Tickets cost just £5, available online or on the door.

Book tickets

Full details of all concerts/events and a detailed history of the series can be found at weymouthchamberconcerts.com

“a really special concert series” – Joseph Tong, pianist

“Weymouth is truly fortunate to have a concert series that benefits both local people and the wider musical community…..this is a valuable initiative that deserves continuing support and celebration.” – James Lisney, pianist

Launched in 2002 by concert pianist and Weymouth resident Duncan Honeybourne, Weymouth Lunchtime Chamber Concerts presents high-quality chamber music in the heart of Weymouth and offers a platform for musical partnerships with friends and colleagues. The concerts also give young musicians, often recent graduates from conservatoire or university, valuable performing experience to a friendly, loyal audience.

Programmes are varied and imaginative, mixing well-known works with lesser-known repertoire and composers, and all concerts take place in the attractive surroundings of St Mary’s Church, an early 19th-century church in central Weymouth, built of Portland stone.

Since its return to normal concert-giving following the covid lockdowns, the series has enjoyed record audience numbers with concerts by, amongst others, pianists Margaret Fingerhut, Joseph Tong, Allan Schiller and John Humphreys, Viv McLean, Penelope Roskell, James Lisney, Matthew Schellhorn and Katharine Lam, cellist Joseph Spooner, bass-baritone Timothy Dickinson, violinists Peter Fisher, Christopher Horner and Leora Cohen, and clarinettist Poppy Beddoe, as well as talented young musicians or recent graduates from conservatoire. Featured contemporary composers include Sadie Harrison, Adam Gorb, Ben Gaunt, Liz Dilnot Johnson and Fazil Say.

The series receives no funding or sponsorship, and all artist fees and other costs are met through ticket sales alone.